Registration with Antique plates in Mass question

[mke]

I want to register my 1966 corvette with antique plates. My primary purpose is for Sunday drives. What's the pro and cons of doing this? Also, how do most people owning an C2 corvette register their car as?

-marc

 

[c4cruiser]

You should check with your state's DMV to find out what (if any) limitations are placed on vehicles with plates like those. Some states will restrict the use of the vehicle once these plates are issued and may have limitations on how old a car must be before it will issue speciality plates. There may even be different types of plates depending on the year like "antique", "horseless carrige", or "classic car"or some such terminology.

They may even limit your driving to things like going to and from events, to and from repair/restoration facilities or maybe a maximum number of miles per year or month.

Some states may give you a break with registration fees or taxes and may even allow the use of the original year-of-issue plates.

 

[wiscane]

In Florida ... if you can obtain a licese plate matching the year of your car; you can send it to the dept of motor vehicles and request it be reregistered to your car. I have a 1965 plate on my car. I found it on ebay. ...Ed

 

[BarryK]

Hi Marc

definately check with your MA. DMV. Here in Delaware, if you apply for an Antique tag you are limited in the vehicle use to functions such as car shows and parades only. Pleasure driving is NOT allowed here with Antique tags

 

[GS Diva]

Marc,

We live in MA. When we had our '74, we registered it with antique plates. Technically, we were only supposed to drive it during daylight hours, and there may have been a weekend restriction, also...except if it was going to and from a show, event, parade, a club event or having some work done on it. Needless to say, we were always "going to or coming from a car show"!

Double check with our wonderful Registry of Motor Vehicles...or with your insurance agent, if it's MA-based. Speaking of insurance, we also insured the '74 with Grundy which, at the time (2 years ago) was the only out of state company allowed to insure antique cars (25 years old or more) in MA. We had the car appraised for $20,000, and paid only $295 per year with Grundy! There were virtually no restrictions on mileage, etc. You may want to look into something like that.

Good luck!

Elaine

 

[attret00]

I'm with wiscane. Here in Virginia I registered a set of '64 plates with dmv and never have to register them again. I can drive all I want.

 

[brumbach]

I've got the antique plates in Kentucky. They too limit the driving to car shows or Sunday driving. Apparently they don't enforce it because I drive my 65 when I want and pass state troops (or the pass me to check out the car) all of the time. The real benefit for me was the minimal annual fee and they didn't hit me up for a sales tax nor assess me annually for property tax. Made sense to me to have these plates.

 

[wiscane]

I was a cop in the Chicago, Il area before I retired.... we did not enforce antique plates. To many other things to worry about. That was way ... way ...down the list!

 

[BarryK]

Wiscane

I can understand that being WAY down the list of priorities - under normal circumstances - but what if something happens such as an accident. Couldn't it cause a problem than with either the state DMV or the insurance?

 

[bradfordsvettes]

I have two cars insured with grundy one with antique tags and one with year of mfg. fair pricing but have not had to file a claim as of this time. should check into restrictions just to cover my own a-- . have not heard any negatives steve

 

[wiscane]

You would have found out ... after the morning crash ad that insurance companies care only that the car is operated within the terms of the policy. AND.. most State motor vehicle agencies care even less. If the police don't care the clerk putting the info into the State computer certainly doesn't care! ...Ed
....hopefully you will never have to find out(again )

 

[Dinger09]

Virginia Does Impose some restrictions

I'm with wiscane. Here in Virginia I registered a set of '64 plates with dmv and never have to register them again. I can drive all I want.

The Code of Virginia does impose some restrictions on activities as follows:

1. [font=arial, helvetica]Participation in antique car club activities, exhibits, tours, parades, and similar events. [/font]
2. [font=arial, helvetica]Testing its operation, obtaining repairs or maintenance, transportation to and from events as described in number 1 above and for the occasional pleasure driving not to exceed 250 miles from your residence. [/font]

[font=arial, helvetica]You may not, however, use your vehicle for general, daily transportation. This includes, but is not limited to, driving to and from work. [/font]

[font=arial, helvetica]If you are providing vintage license plates:
[/font]

• [font=arial, helvetica]The issue year of the license plate must match the model year of the vehicle. [/font]
• [font=arial, helvetica]DMV must inspect and approve their physical condition.[/font]

THERE IS NO LIMITITATION ON MILES DRIVEN, JUST THE ALLOWED PURPOSE (IN CAPS ONLY TO DIFFERENTIATE FROM THE VA CODE ABOVE). BUT THE TRUTH BE KNOWN I HAVE NEVER BEEN STOPPED, INSPECTED OR QUESTIONED ABOUT THE CAR EXCEPT BY ADMIRERS.

 

[BarryK]

You would have found out ... after the morning crash ad that insurance companies care only that the car is operated within the terms of the policy. AND.. most State motor vehicle agencies care even less. If the police don't care the clerk putting the info into the State computer certainly doesn't care! ...Ed
....hopefully you will never have to find out(again )

well, you are right, hopefully i'll never have to find out again! I still need to get my car registered and taged (still has the temp tags on her) and I was considering the Antique tags until I found out about the restrictions here. Would be nice to have them but I'm still wary of it ever coming back to bite me in the A**. I was just going to to go for a standard personalized tag instead.

 

[c5vetter]

Barry,

don't let the accident deter you from putting "antique" tags or whatever on your baby. I found ORIGINAL 1963 tags for LADY and had to pay $10.00 (one-time fee) to have the pleasure of mounting them. I also have to pay a yearly charge ($30.00, I think) for HISTORIC tags that I have to carry in the car with me. This is in Maryland.

 

[critchie]

Go to the following url to get the form to get antique plates in Massachusetts. The form also gives you the restrictions that these plates impose.

http://www.state.ma.us/rmv/forms/20132.pdf

The restrictions are you are only supposed to drive the car to parades, club functions, shows, etc. The restrictions are broadly written. They allow you to drive the car someplace to get it repaired. I wouldn't worry too much about the restrictions - there's always a show or a cruise night someplace, and the car always needs work.

But why do you want antique plates? What do they "buy" you? They cost the same or more than regular plates, and all they do is impose restrictions. If you want them because they're cool, consider year of manufacture (YOM) plates that Massachusetts also offers.

Distinguish between the restrictions that the plates impose versus the restrictions that your antique auto insurance policy (Hagerty, Grundy, etc.) will impose. These insurance companies are something you definitely do want to consider. I've got my '62 garaged in West Roxbury with an agreed value of $30K, and pay $268/year in premium. Regular insurance policy was close to $1000/year, and I know I was going to have a fight with them if I had a claim. The regular insurance company valued my car at $1.98. These insurance companies will impose restrictions that are similar. And they will check that you obeyed these restrictions if you have a claim.

 

[critchie]

One More Thing

If you go to a car show in Massachusetts, you'll find that most of the cars that qualify do not have antique plates. Some do. Maybe 10%-20%.